Paper insurance applications mailed to people losing BadgerCare

77,470 residents to lose BadgerCare coverage on Jan. 1

Nov. 11, 2013

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Gannett Wisconsin Media

OSHKOSH — The state is spending $124,600 to mail paper applications for health insurance coverage to tens of thousands of people who will soon lose coverage through BadgerCare but still can’t access the federal insurance exchange.

The move follows growing pressure from health care advocates and county officials across Wisconsin who are calling on Gov. Scott Walker to take action as the Dec. 15 deadline for enrolling in coverage through the marketplace approaches.

Walker opted not to accept federal Medicaid funds to expand eligibility for individuals and families earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. As a result, only people living at or below the poverty line will be eligible for BadgerCare starting next year.

About 77,470 people enrolled in BadgerCare, the state insurance program for low-income residents, will lose coverage Jan. 1 because of the new income eligibility guidelines. Those people – 2,643 in Winnebago County, 2,812 in Outagamie and 507 in Calumet – could get subsidized private health insurance through the new federal marketplace. However, few have been able to access the marketplace, much less apply or enroll in coverage, because of ongoing system failures.

Applications for coverage done on paper and over the phone have been successful. That’s why the state Department of Human Services is mailing the forms and instructions to every household losing BadgerCare, said Kevin Moore, deputy secretary of the department.

The forms will be sent over a five-day period starting Tuesday, he said. They will include a letter explaining different options for accessing the exchange by phone or online, as well as information on how to find local people able to assist with the application.

“This is yet another outreach effort the state of Wisconsin is doing to make sure the people transitioning into the exchange have all the information and resources necessary to make informed decisions,” Moore said.

The state has spent a total of $704,886 since late September on mailings and direct phone calls to educate BadgerCare recipients about their transition to the marketplace.

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Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris said he doesn’t believe the paper applications will solve the central issue that people may not have enough time to enroll in an insurance plan.

Problems with the federal website are expected to be corrected by the end of the month, but that leaves little time for those to enroll in an insurance program by Dec. 15, the deadline to sign-up in order to have coverage by the start of the new year.

Harris and executives from Outagamie and Fond du Lac counties sent a letter to Walker last week requesting he delay the BadgerCare eligibility change until March 31 to buy them more time.

“I’m just very doubtful all of those people will be able to sign up in such a short period of time,” he said.

Moore wouldn’t say if the state has a backup plan in the event the marketplace isn’t fully functioning by the end of November. He said the he is taking the White House at its word that the problems will be resolved soon. In the meantime, the department of human services “remains flexible in its outreach plan,” he said.

“We have to update our operations and policies based on what (the federal government) is telling us. I can’t stress that enough. That is why states across the nation are being challenged,” he said. “We are remaining patient, but just like many Wisconsin residents, we are frustrated.”